JPH03197295A - Wet suit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enhance durability for repeated use by forming a body portion having a neck opening, arm openings and leg openings, in particular a shoulder portion and other body portion, out of panels comprising two different materials having different elasticity. CONSTITUTION: This wet suit 10 is provided with a body portion 12 having a neck opening 14 in its upper end, arm openings 16 in its sides, and a pair of tubular leggings 18. The central part of a body and its upper part are formed out of front and back face panels 20, 22 comprising the first insulative material, and the panels 20, 22 are overlapped by a flat lock stitch along neighboring linear side ends 24, 26 via stitching lines. The panels 20, 22 surrounds shoulder portions annularly in both sides, and has arch-shaped cutouts 30, 32 in upper parts of a lateral stitch provided from proper positions of the arm openings. The shoulder portions are formed out of panels 37, 38 comprising an expandable material fixed to the ends of the cutouts 30, 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to surfing, sailboarding (
wetsuits for use in underwater sports such as windsurfing), diving and swimming.

Many wetsuits are relatively thick, made of an insulating material such as neoprene, and have a downwardly extending zipper or fastener on the front or back to allow the wetsuit to be put on and taken off. However, these fasteners are uncomfortable to the touch and are not very flexible.
This poses a problem, especially in underwater sports such as surfing, which involve repeated bending and bending movements. Additionally, they can easily become weakened, crushed, or torn due to repeated use, requiring repair or replacement.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved wetsuit that is easy to put on and take off and is suitable for use in dynamic underwater sports.

In the present invention, a wetsuit is formed from a neck opening, an arm opening, a legging, and a continuous body part that is formed from panels of two different material types with different moduli of elasticity. The panels are permanently attached and folded along all adjacent edges, and the material around the neck opening extends at least through the neck opening.
It is highly stretchable so that the suit can be pulled over the wearer's body.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a highly stretchable panel of the arm opening extends between and around the circumference of each arm opening and the neck opening. The center of the fuselage section is a low stretch material with an insulating material such as neoprene. Insulating materials are thicker than stretchable materials. Each legging section exhibits great stretch when the wearer is often required to assume bending positions, such as in surfing, sailboarding, and the like. Adjacent panels are permanently stitched together. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stitching is a modified flat lock machine stitch using a loose thread with substantially no voids between adjacent stitches, at least on the outside of the suit.

Further elastic or stretchable materials include nylon/Lycra blends or other similar elastic materials, at least in the neck opening. The neck extends into an opening large enough for the wearer to fit through the neck opening, and after the wearer has put it on, the suit is pulled over the body and the arms are inserted into the appropriate opening. and pass the legs through.

Due to the use of elastic material around the arms, the arm openings are wide enough to allow the arms to pass through as well. When taking it off, reverse this procedure.

The arm and neck openings may be slightly larger than the normal unstretched area if necessary. Once the neck opening is fully extended, the suit can be easily put on and taken off. This continuous, one-piece body covering suit has no zippers or zippers that can be uncomfortable, chewed, or crushed. Suits are quick and easy to put on and take off.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The drawings show a single wetsuit 10 according to the present invention as a preferred embodiment. As shown,
The suit 10 has a neck opening 14 at the top and an arm opening 16 at the side.
, consisting of a complete torso or torso section 12 having a pair of tubular leggings 18 attached completely to the body and leg openings 19 at their lower ends. In alternative embodiments, the leggings can be made to any desired length or removed and replaced with a simple leg opening at the top of the wearer's leg.

The suit 10 consists of panels of different material types having two different moduli of elasticity, formed into suitable shapes, joined together to form a continuous suit along adjacent edges. permanently sewn together. The two materials are a first elastic material having insulating properties, such as neoprene, and a second elastic material that is thinner and more stretchable or elastic than the first elastic material.

The second elastic material is, for example, nylon/Lycr
a) material or similar lightweight, elastic material. The elastic material is designed to extend at least around the neck and arms, while the insulating material is designed to cover the torso or more parts of the body. In the best illustrated embodiment, additional elastic material is used substantially around portions of the leggings 18.

As best seen in FIGS. 1-3, the central and upper portions of the body are formed by front and back panels 20.22 of a first insulating material. Panel 20.
22 are held together by standard flat lock stitches 28, shown in FIG. 5, along adjacent straight side edges 24, 26 via seam lines or seams (not shown). Each panel circles the shoulder area on each side and has an arched cut-out 30.32 above the transverse seam starting from the preferred location of the arm opening.
have. The top edges 34, 36 of the front and back panels are hollowed out to form part of the neck opening.

The shoulder and arm openings of the suit are formed of a second elastic material that is secured to the cutout edges 30, 32 of the front and back panels. Each shoulder part has a second
It is further formed with front and back layer panels 37, 38 of elastic material. Each pair of front and back layer panels has an upper edge along 39 extending across the shoulder portion.

When completed, it is formed along lines 40 and 41 of the reminder, which is formed so that the U openings on the front and back are continuous. Each of the pair of shoulder panels is formed along 42.43 to form the desired arm frontage. The lower 44 portions are adjacent to the side continuous seams. The upper and outer end portions are secured together with a suitable stitch line or seam (not shown).

The inner edges 46,47 of each of the front and back layer panels are
Front and back torso panels 20.2 on each side of the suit
The concave and convex edges of the shoulders and torso are formed to match the shape of the arched cut-outs of 2, 30° and 32, overlapped respectively, and the stitching on the front and back sides, as best shown in Figure 2. Stitched together by line or seam 48.50. Once the torso and shoulder panels are sewn together, the binding 52, 54 is sewn around the neck opening and around the arm opening, respectively. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the binding is formed from a material that is the same as or similar to the second elastic material, such as 378 inches of nylon/Lycra.

The lower portion of the suit is also formed from panels of two different materials. The front torso panel 20 extends to the upper center 65 of the crotch region 66 and arches upwardly joining 68 and 70, which follow the wearer's hip line. The lower edge and edge 7 of the back fuselage panel 22 when these two panels are sewn together along the side seams.
2 stops above the buttocks so as to form a continuous line with the lower edge 68,70 of the front panel.

The crotch or lower torso portion of the suit and leggings hang downwardly from the lower edges of the front and back torso panels. Each legging is formed from a second panel 73 of more stretchable material and a first panel 74 of insulating material. They are along seam lines 76, 78 along the adjacent side edges, as best shown in FIG.
Leg openings 1 so as to form cylindrical leggings at their lower ends
It is sewn together with 9. Panel 7 of stretchable material
3 extends around half of the outer back panel of the front and each leg portion for better bending and stretch, covering approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the circumference of the leggings. The wearer's crotch region is further covered with stretchable material, making it easier to bend and stretch during activities such as surfing. The insulated portion of each legging is made of a single insulated panel.

As shown in Figure 3, it runs across the back of the upper thigh of the leggings to form one half of the inner back of each legging, and runs down the sides of each. A single panel 74 arches upward and falls along the edge 80 between the leggings surrounding the back buttocks.

The crotch 66 is preferably formed from separate front and back membrane panels 81,82 of insulating material that are joined at their adjacent lower edges by a continuous seam 78 (FIG. 3). To conform to the shape of the lower end 80 of the arched legging panel 74, the back membrane panel 82 is formed along its length main. The upper edge of the front membrane panel is joined by a stitch line 84 to the center portion 65 of the lower edge of the front fuselage panel. On the other hand, its lateral edge 86.8
7 is an arched lower edge portion 68 of the front fuselage panel 88.
It is formed so as to maintain a continuous shape of 70.

The upper edge of the legging panel is secured to the lower edge of the back torso panel with stitch lines or seams 88 (Figure 3), and to the front torso and crotch panels with stitch lines 8, 90 (Figure 1).
Fix it with. In fact, a continuous line of stitching extends from the external lateral edge of the front membrane panel to the lower edge of the front panel and the lower edge of the rear fuselage panel (i.e. stitch line 88.8 as shown).
It is a continuous line of 9 and 901, 71t~) used to fix leggings. Similarly, the internal legging seam 78 and the inseam seam have a single continuous line as shown. A suitable stitch or bonding material is applied around the leg openings 19. For example, pave overlock stitching, and if desired, add long tightening elastic to each leg opening 1 for a better fit.
It may be applied around the inside of 9.

Panels of two different materials have different thicknesses.

Typically, insulating materials are much thicker than even elastic materials. For example, neoprene having a thickness in the range of 1.5 to 20 mm may be used as the first insulating material panel. while the second elastic material containing nylon/lycra is 0.5 to 1.0 mm
It is used with a thickness of . To avoid discomfort and reduce variation due to differences in thickness due to different materials, the overlapping edge stitches are of a special type as shown in Figure 2.4.6.7. used. This stitching is smooth, continuous, largely invisible, and enhances the appearance of the suit.

In the preferred embodiment, all stitches include variations of flat lock stitches. The stitches are made using a standard stitch machine with the modifications described below.

In the preferred embodiment, the Union Special 3620
A 0AJ stitch machine was used. As shown in Figure 5,
Stitch 6 Cone thread is commonly used to produce standard flat lock stitches. This stitch essentially consists of four parallel rows 94 extending through the material.
96 with a zigzag or serpentine horizontal cross stitch on each side.

This involves looping under the stitches of adjacent parallel rows to link the parallel rows. As shown in FIG. 5, the voids 97 between adjacent stitches leave visible adjacent material edges 98. There are significant thickness variations between materials.

This edge is protruding and the inner edge of the thicker panel suit can be uncomfortable for the wearer and can cause chafing of the skin due to bending and stretching movements.

In the best embodiments, the potential for seam discomfort is reduced or eliminated. At the same time, the appearance of the suit was improved by using a modified flat lock stitch 110, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Figure 6 shows the outer surface of the suit and Figure 7 shows the inner surface. Stitch 1
10 is used to join all overlapping edges between adjacent panels of at least two different materials. However, if desired, the modified stitches may be used for all stitches in the suit. The stitches shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are generally made as shown in FIG. Figure 8 shows the standard 6 cones, 1
6 is a Union Special 36200AJ stitch machine. To produce the stitch 110 of FIG. 6, an additional thread cone 7 is added and the thread 7
per) (not shown) and cross stitch 118
are combined with the thread from one cone so that there are two. Preferably, yarns 1 and 7 are both woolly fibers,
For example, the cross stitch 118 that can be made with fluffy nylon thread is relatively thick and will fill the void. Stitch strength is adjusted so that there are no visible gaps between adjacent stitches at least in the outer seams as shown in FIG.

To make a stitch such as that shown in FIG. 6, four standard cones of a stitching machine producing parallel rows 94 of a fixed distance carry a suitable thread, such as polyspan. The other two cones of the standard machine, on the other hand, carry an additional cone 7 of fuzzy yarn, for example fuzzy nylon. The inside of the seam is as shown in FIG.

As shown, the flatlock seam is so tight that there are no voids and the edges of the material are hidden when viewed from the front of the suit. Preferably, the thread used for cross-stitching is woolly or bulky nylon, which can fill any gaps between adjacent stitches and hide the edges of the material. This produces a smooth, clean appearance as well as smoothing the transition between thick neoprene and thin nylon/riflar panels. Other adjacent panels of the suit are sewn together in a suitable manner, for example with a standard flat lock stitch as in FIG. 5 or with a modified stitch as in FIG. 6.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the modified stitch of FIG. 6 is used where the edges overlap before sewing between the insulating material and the elastic material (eg, seams 46, 47, 88, etc.).
89.90.76.78) Also used between adjacent and overlapping edges of thin, more elastic material before sewing (eg 30.44 on shoulder panels).

The same stitch is used to join the lower edges of the crotch panels, forming a continuous legging seam 88. However, the crotch panels do not overlap even if they are next to each other. The remaining neoprene-neoprene seams 24.26.85 are
It is formed with a flat lock stitch as in Figures 6 and 7, except that adjacent edges do not overlap and the threads are not fuzzy like polyspun fibers or yarns.

The one-piece wetsuit of the present invention is easy to remove and does not have zippers or zippers that can be chewed or crushed, requiring repair or replacement, or causing discomfort to the wearer. . It has a smooth surface with virtually no visible seam material and a clean appearance. The elastic material panels of leggings make it easier for the wearer to bend their legs. Stitching on the seams improves the appearance while reducing discomfort on the inside of the suit.

Although only one preferred embodiment has been described, the invention is not limited thereto (although various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims). Intermediate with a range of.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view of a wetsuit according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a rear view of the wetsuit of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a 4-4 in Figure 3
Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a line, Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a typical stitch used in the wetsuit of the present invention, Figure 6 is a seam using a new stitch with fluff added to fill in the gaps. It is an enlarged view of the outside. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the inside of a stitch similar to FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a thread supply adjustment machine for forming stitches with fluff added to fill gaps.

Claims (15)

[Claims] (1) A continuous torso portion having a neck opening, an arm opening, and a leg opening; a torso portion formed from a panel of a first insulating material and a second material having greater elasticity than the first material; having panels permanently joined together along their adjacent edges, a second material extending at least around the neck opening and having means for pulling up on the torso through the neck opening; Wet suit. 2. The wetsuit of claim 1, wherein the second high modulus material extends between and around each of the neck and arm openings. 3. The high modulus material panel extends at least a portion of the periphery of each leg opening.
Wetsuit as described. 4. The wetsuit of claim 3, wherein the torso portion has a torso cover and leggings depending below the torso cover, each legging having a major portion including at least one panel of the second material. (5) The first material includes a stretchable heat insulating material, and the second material includes a stretchable material having higher elasticity than the heat insulating material. Wet suit. 6. The wetsuit of claim 5, wherein said insulating material comprises neoprene. 7. The wetsuit of claim 5, wherein the elastic material comprises nylon/Lycra. 8. The wetsuit of claim 1, wherein the different materials have different thicknesses, the second material being thinner than the first material. (9) The wetsuit according to claim 1, wherein adjacent panel edges are sewn together with stitches. 10. The wetsuit of claim 9, wherein the stitching between panels of different materials is a flat lock stitch. 11. The wetsuit of claim 10, wherein at least the outer surface of the suit has substantially no voids between adjacent stitches and is at least partially stitched with fuzzy fibers. (12) panels of material each shaped to fit the shape of a respective portion of the article, with means for joining each adjacent pair of panels, at least some of the means for joining at least on the outer surface of the suit; An underwater sports garment comprising flat lock stitches formed of partially fuzzy fibers with substantially no void space between adjacent stitches. (13) the flat lock stitch includes a plurality of spaced parallel rows of stitches and a horizontal cross stitch linked to the row of stitches on each side of the article;
13. The garment of claim 12, wherein the cross stitch is formed from two strands of fibers that are fluffed on one side. (14) comprising two different types of panels including different thicknesses and resiliencies, wherein the flat lock stitch is made between at least adjacent panels of different materials;
Clothes listed. (15) having a series of parallel straight seams in the first material passing under the panel material, with a transverse, tortuous cross stitch on each seam joining an adjacent row of stitches; A cross-stitch is a garment having a seam for joining the adjacent edges of two different panels, characterized by two strands of fiber that are fluffed on at least one side.